Positioning mechanisms are known for holding a specimen, a slide or like item (hereinafter slide) in a known position relative to a viewing apparatus, such as a microscope. In some instances these mechanisms are incorporated into the stage of an automated microscope so that the slide may be moved with the stage relative to the viewing field of the microscope. However, often these mechanisms do not repeatably hold the slide in the same precise location on the stage. Where it is desirable to view the slide through the microscope on more than one occasion or to view the slide on different microscopes, repeatability of positioning of the slide relative to the microscope may be of particular importance. For example, in some automated or semi-automated specimen analysis devices, locations of interest on a slide may be recorded by their coordinates for later review on the same device or on another device, such as a device devoted to review. In such devices if the slide is not repeatably and accurately positioned, it may be difficult to find the locations sought for further review once the slide has been removed from the device and reinserted in the same or a different device. It is also desirable that a positioning mechanism be capable of accommodating and facilitating the automated loading and removal of the slide from the stage, for example, by a robot arm.